Why it matters: Protecting your privacy online is a difficult task, and companies like Facebook are arguably at the center of the issue. However, in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data privacy debacle, the company has taken steps to guard user information more closely. The platform’s new “Shared Audience Responsibility” policy is the latest example of this – companies will soon need to obtain user consent before they can share data with third parties. Facebook has mostly recovered from the Cambridge Analytica data privacy debacle, and they’ve taken steps to give users more control over how their data is used via powerful privacy tools. However, that isn’t all the company is doing to prevent data privacy issues from cropping up again in the future. Soon, the platform will be instituting new accountability and transparency rules for businesses that operate on Facebook. Specifically, the company is targeting businesses that use their “Custom Audiences” advertising tool. For the unaware, the tool lets companies target ads at you using your email address or phone number, according to TechCrunch. Facebook will make it harder for companies to share the information they gain about users via the Custom Audiences tool with third parties. The company will accomplish this goal by forcing businesses to confirm that they’ve received consent for “contact info ad targeting.” It’s not clear how Facebook plans to enforce these rules if they’re broken, but it’s an excellent first step toward a more responsible, privacy-friendly ad policy. These new policy changes won’t… [Read full story]